Ultrasonic instrument for the deformation treatment of surfaces and weld joints

ABSTRACT

Ultrasound Device for Improvement Treatment of Parts and Welded Joints; said device comprises a housing with a handle and sliding guides, wherein a sleeve with an attachment possessing the ability of reciprocal motion is affixed; said sleeve contains, over vibro-insulation packing, an ultrasound transducer installed on the nodal plane and connected to the oscillation velocity transformer; a temperature sensor and a sensor of the sleeve position in relation to the housing; a forced air-cooling system for the transducer based on feeding compressed air at the butt end of the sleeve and discharging it in the area of the exit opening of the velocity transformer, said transformer being in contact with the striker tips capable of the reciprocal motion and positioned within a working head; the cylindrical end of said working head is mounted on the attachment with the ability of rotation and quick removal; the movement of the sleeve is limited by means of a pin anchored on the sleeve and positioned in a longitudinal slot on the housing and affixed to the front edge of the slot by a spring located between the shoulder formed on the sleeve and the butt-end surface of the housing, with the ability of the sleeve to shift when the strikers are pressed; a shifting spigot equipped with pins inserted into shaped slots made in the housing with the ability of anchoring the axial movement of the spigot in three positions, is installed between the spring and the butt-end surface of the housing; said working head with strikers is anchored, to avert axial movement, by means of a spring ball lock, the ball of which enters either one of the sockets made with a one-plane angular pitch or a circular groove made on the cylindrical end of the working head; said handle is attached to the housing through an extender and shifted in the direction opposite to the working head.

THE FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention applies to the field of technological use of the energyof ultrasound oscillations and may be used in machine building,shipbuilding, and other industries, particularly for improvementtreatment of parts and welded joints and structures operating undervibration and cyclic loading. Surface improvement of metal parts andwelded joints, as the final technological process, considerablyincreases the endurance of the machine parts and enhances their qualityand fatigue life. Presently, the most widespread methods of surfacetreatment using plastic deformation are treatments by shot peening,rolling, hammer peening, vibration roller burnishing, and other suchmethods. The high-energy processes of surface treatment have generatedsubstantial interest, with surface improvement with the help ofultrasound oscillations being one of them. As test results andoperational practices reveal, the ultrasonic method has proven to besufficiently effective in the treatment of metals, especiallyhigh-strength materials. It has facilitated a considerable increase inthe mechanical properties of structural materials, especially of theirfatigue life and durability. In turn, the efficiency and quality of theultrasonic treatment process and its serviceability rely considerablyupon the design of the ultrasonic device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The technological level includes a vibro-impact device with ultrasoundexcitation (as per Russia-issued Patent #2179919 C2, MIIK B25D 9/14,B06B1/08, B06B1/12, B24B 39/04, 2000) comprising a housing with ahandle; a source of oscillation excitation consisting of amagnetostrictive transducer and the vibrational velocity transformer,placed with a clearance in the housing on sliding guides, with theability of reciprocating motion and making contact to the housingthrough a spring; a working head with strikers aligned with thevibrational velocity transformer; and an air cooling system for themagnetostrictive transducer.

The air cooling system in such a vibro-impact device diverts the heatfrom the magnetostrictive transducer only. The working head withstrikers, which heats up considerably during its operation, is notcooled in the instrument, which greatly reduces the time thevibro-impact device can stay in operation. Another drawback of such adevice is inconsistent quality of treatment of surfaces and weldedjoints. The reason behind such inconsistency is that, depending on thedevice's spatial positioning, the hold-down force between the velocitytransformer and the strikers varies due to fluctuations in the directionof the gravity effect of the vibration excitation source upon the springsince the operator presses the strikers to the treated surface throughthe handle, housing, spring, and the vibrational excitation source. Inthe case when the device is positioned horizontally, the weight of thevibration excitation source does not affect the force with which thestrikers are pressed against the treated surface. In the case of thevertically upward position, characteristic for treating ceiling surfacesand joints, the weight of the vibrational excitation source decreasesthe hold-down force with which the strikers are pressed against thetreated surface. In the case of the vertically downward position, theweight of the vibrational excitation source increases the hold-downforce with which the strikers are pressed against the treated surface.The small size of the device and the placement of the handle directly onthe housing make it difficult for the operator, under vibro-impactconditions, to keep the vibrating tool on the treated surface or thewelded joint thus accelerating the operator's fatigue.

The technological level also comprises an ultrasound device forimprovement treatment of surfaces and welded joints (as perUkraine-issued patent #68264, MILK B24B 39/00, B06B1/06, 2007),including a housing with a metal sleeve installed along the slidingguides with the possibility of reciprocating motion. Inside the sleeve,using vibro-insulators, are installed an ultrasound piezoelectrictransducer connected to the vibrational velocity transformer and twosensors—a sensor of the reciprocating motion in the axial direction anda temperature sensor. A pneumatic chamber with a spring is mounted inthe housing co-axially with the sleeve. The sleeve is also equipped withan attachment that allows for rotation and quick removal of the workinghead with strikers that are installed in a way that allows them movingfreely back and forth and to contact the outer edge of the vibrationalvelocity transformer. Of the two handles affixed to the housing, one iscapable of revolving around the housing axis while the other one isstationary.

Such a device possesses an ineffective cooling system since the heatedultrasonic transducer placed inside the sealed metal sleeve transfersthe heat only from a very small area of the exterior surface byatmospheric air convection. The heated up working head with strikers hasno forced cooling and cools off by ineffective atmospheric airconvection only. Dust, dirt, and metal shavings covering the treatedwork surface interfere with visual control of the treated area duringthe vibro-impact treatment process; besides, they tend to get into smallgaps between the moveable strikers and the working head, jam thestrikers, and stall the vibro-impact mode of the device operation.Similar to the above mentioned case, the drawback of such a device isinconsistent quality of treatment of surfaces and welded joints. Thereason behind such inconsistency is that, depending on the device'sspatial positioning, the hold-down force between the vibrationalvelocity transformer and the strikers varies due to fluctuations in thedirection of the gravity effect of the vibration excitation source uponthe spring since the operator presses the strikers to the treatedsurface through the handle, housing, spring, sleeve with an ultrasoundpiezoelectric transducer and the vibrational excitation source. Thesmall size of the device and the placement of the handle directly on thehousing make it difficult for the operator, under vibro-impactconditions, to keep the vibrating tool on the treated surface or thewelded joint thus accelerating the operator's fatigue.

The Ukraine-issued patent #87006, MILK B24B 39/00, B06B1/06, B24B 1/042009, with the properties of the introductory clause of Paragraph 1 ofthe Embodiment of the Invention, reveals the mechanism of an ultrasounddevice for improvement treatment of surfaces and welded joints thatalready possesses a reliable air cooling system. Discharge of the airthrough the openings in the working head with strikers towards thetreated surface removes dirt and dust off the surface and preventsjamming the strikers in the working head due to clogging.

Nevertheless, this mechanism has significant drawbacks as well. As inthe above-mentioned cases, the drawback of such a device is theinconsistent quality of treatment of surfaces and welded joints. Thereason behind such inconsistency is that, depending on the device'sspatial positioning, the hold-down force between the vibrationalvelocity transformer and the strikers varies due to fluctuations in thedirection of the gravity effect of the vibration excitation source uponthe spring since the operator presses the strikers to the treatedsurface through the handle, housing, spring, sleeve with the ultrasonicpiezoelectric transducer, and the vibrational excitation source. In thecase when the device is positioned horizontally, gravity of thevibration excitation source does not affect the force with which thestrikers are pressed to the treated work surface. In the case of thevertically upward position characteristic for treating ceiling surfacesand joints, the gravity of the vibration excitation source decreases thehold-down force of the strikers. In the case of the vertically downwardposition, the gravity of the vibrational excitation source increases thehold-down force of the strikers. The operator needs to consider thesepoints when changing the spatial position of the device. This encumbersthe operator's 10 job and lowers the quality of the treatment since theoperator controls the hold-down force only through the position of thepin in the housing slot. These claimants have designed and implementedthis invention to overcome such drawbacks and attain further advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is introduced and described in the Description ofPreferred Embodiment.

The purpose of this invention is to create an ultrasound device forimprovement treatment of surfaces and welded joints that will ensureconsistent high quality of treatment regardless of the spatialpositioning of the device by eliminating the gravity effect of thesleeve with elements located inside it upon the hold-down force upon thework surface of the strikers.

Another purpose of this invention is to create an ultrasound device fordeformation treatment of surfaces and welded joints with enhancedfunctional capabilities by ensuring anchoring of the working head withstrikers in an angular position needed to treat hard-to-reach zones ofparts and welded joints and enabling free rotation of the working headwith strikers when treating flat surfaces.

Yet another purpose of this invention is to create an ultrasound devicefor deformation treatment of surfaces and welded joints that would deferthe operator's fatigue by enhancing the ergonomic characteristics of thedevice by means of moving the handle away from the housing of the devicein the direction opposite to the working head.

The ultrasound device for deformation treatment of surfaces and weldedjoints comprises, as per this invention, a housing with a handle andsliding guides, wherein a sleeve with an attachment possessing theability of reciprocal motion is affixed. Said sleeve contains, overvibro-insulation packing, an ultrasound transducer installed on thenodal plane and connected to the oscillation velocity transformer, atemperature sensor and a sensor of the sleeve position in relation tothe housing, a forced air-cooling system for the transducer based onfeeding compressed air at the butt end of the sleeve and discharging itin the area of the exit opening of the velocity transformer, saidtransformer being in contact with the striker tips capable of thereciprocal motion and installed within a working head, the cylindricalend of which is mounted on the attachment with the ability of rotatingand quick removal. The movement of the sleeve is limited by means of apin anchored on the sleeve and positioned in a longitudinal slot on thehousing and affixed to the front edge of the slot by a spring locatedbetween the shoulder formed on the sleeve and the butt-end surface ofthe housing, with the ability of the sleeve to shift when the strikersare pressed. A moving spigot equipped with pins inserted into shapedslots made in the housing with the ability of anchoring the axialmovement of the spigot in three positions is installed between thespring and the butt-end surface of the housing. Said working head withstrikers is anchored, to avert axial movement, by means of a spring balllock, the ball of which enters either one of the sockets made with aone-plane angular pitch or a circular groove made on the cylindrical endof the working head, while the handle is attached to the housing throughan extender and shifted in the direction opposite to the working head.

Consistently high quality of treatment of surfaces and welded jointsregardless of the spatial positioning of the device is achieved by wayof a moving spigot mounted between the spring and the butt-end surfaceof said sleeve, said spigot being equipped with pins inserted intoshaped slots made in the housing for affixing axial movement of thespigot in three positions. Such design of the device cancels the gravityeffect of the sleeve with elements located within upon the hold-downforce of the strikers on the work surface.

The functional capabilities of the device are enhanced due to theanchoring of the working head with strikers against its axial movementby means of a spring ball lock, the ball of which enters either one ofthe sockets made with a one-plane angular pitch or into a circulargroove made on the cylindrical end of the working head. Such design ofthe working head enables both the affixed angular position, which is themost convenient for treating difficult-to-access welded joints, and freerotation for treating flat surfaces.

Enhanced ergonomic characteristics of the device are achieved by meansof moving the handle away from the housing of the device in thedirection opposite to the working head.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above mentioned and other points of the invention will be furtherclarified by the following description of the preferred embodiment ofthe invention introduced as non-limiting examples with references to theattached drawings where:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the ultrasonic device; and

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view of the pin as it appears when engaging apin inserted into a shaped slot of the housing (view A).

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

An Ultrasound Device for Improvement Treatment of Parts and WeldedJoints comprises a housing 1, with sliding guides 2, wherein a sleeve 3with an attachment 4 possessing the ability of reciprocal motion isaffixed. Inside the sleeve 3 attached, over vibro-insulation packing,are an ultrasonic transducer connected to the oscillation velocitytransformer through the nodal plane, a temperature sensor and a sensorof the sleeve 3 position in relation to the housing 1 (sensors and theultrasound transducer are not shown in the drawings for convenience).The movement of the sleeve 3 is limited by means of a pin 5 anchored onthe sleeve, positioned in a longitudinal slot 6 on the housing 1 andaffixed to the front edge of the slot 6 by a spring 7 located between ashoulder 8 formed on the sleeve 3 and a shifting spigot 9, equipped withpins 10 inserted into shaped slots 11 made in the housing 1 with theability of anchoring the axial movement of the spigot 9 in threepositions, with the working head 3 possessing the ability to shift whenstrikers 12 located in a working head 13 are pressed with the ability ofthe reciprocal motion and their tips come into contact with the exit endof the oscillation velocity transformer 14. The cylindrical end of theworking head 13 is placed in the attachment 4, which enables rotationand quick removal. The working head 13 is anchored in relation to theattachment 4 by means of a ball 15, a flat cylindrical spring 16, andeither sockets made with a one-plane angular pitch or a circular groovemade on the cylindrical end of the working head 13. A connector 17 usedfor compressed air feed to a forced-air cooling system is located in thebutt end of the sleeve 3. Air, discharged through openings 18 in theworking head 13, directed towards the work area. A handle 19 used by anoperator to hold the device is attached to the housing 1 through anextender 20 that shifts it in the direction opposite to the working head13. An electrical cable connecting the ultrasound transducer to theelectric oscillation generator (not shown in the drawing forconvenience) enters the sleeve 3 over an airtight gasket 21.

The ultrasonic device operates as following: compressed air fed throughthe connector 17 passes through the sleeve 3, cools off the ultrasonicpiezoelectric transducer and leaves the device through the opening 18 inthe working head 13 while cooling off the output end of the oscillationvelocity transformer 14 and the strikers 12. The temperature sensorcontrols the temperature of the working transducer preventing itsoverheating. The strikers 12 are placed into a mechanical contact withthe surface of the peened metal. By pressing through the handle 19 andextender 20, the operator attains axial shift of the housing 1 inrelation to the sleeve 3 (of 3 to 5 mm) until the sensor of the sleeve 3position in relation to the housing 1, which is located in the sleeve 3,has been triggered. The shift sensor triggers the ultrasound electricoscillation generator. The latter feeds ultrasound frequency voltagethrough the airtight gasket 21 to the ultrasound transducer, generatingin it resonant elastic longitudinal mechanical vibrations. Thetransformer of vibration velocity 14 increases the amplitude ofoscillations of the output end up to 20 to 30 microns. The strikers 12,being in contact with the output end, due to impact interaction, alsocommence longitudinal vibrations when traveling in the apertures of theworking head 13. Kinetic energy acquired by the strikers 12 from theultrasound transducer is consumed to deform the treated surface and forelastic rebound of the strikers. The hold-down force of the device uponthe work surface is 40 to 60 N, the spring 7 is deformed as a result,and the pin 5 in the groove 6 shifts a respective distance. Otherfactors influencing the magnitude of the hold-down force of the strikersis gravity of the sleeve 3 and the elements it contains. Therefore,depending on the spatial positioning of the device, the operator shiftsand anchors the spigot 9 with pins 10 in the shaped slots 11. If thedevice is positioned horizontally, the operator anchors the pins 10 inthe middle notch of the shaped slot 11. If the device is positionedvertically upwards or downwards, the operator shifts and anchors thepins 10 in the respective notches of the shaped slot 11, thusadditionally squeezing or loosening the preliminary spring 7 pressure bythe amount of the weight of the sleeve 3 and the elements it contains.The device is moved along the welded joint or the work surface. Ifnecessary when treating hard-to-reach joints the operator turns theworking head 13 into a necessary discrete position anchoring it by meansof the resilient ball 15 that couples with the indents on thecylindrical surface of the cartridge. For vibro-impact treatment of flatsurfaces, the operator replaces the working head (13) with in-linepositioning of the strikers (12) with a multistriker working head withdistributed positioning of the strikers. The cylindrical surface ofworking head of this type that gets into contact with the attachment 4has a groove. The spring-loaded ball 15 gets into this groove, enablingthe working head to rotate freely around its axis and preventing it fromfalling out of the attachment 4. Air discharged through the openings 18in the working head cleans the work surface facilitating constant visualcontrol and preventing the debris of the treatment process (e.g. scale,rust, dirt, etc.) from getting into the working head openings,especially the working ones in which the strikers move.

The alternating spring pressure used in the device ensures consistentlyhigh quality of treatment of surfaces and welded joints regardless ofthe spatial positioning of the device. Taking into consideration thatthe weight of the sleeve with an ultrasound transducer with the power of400 watt and an oscillation velocity transformer is approximately 20 to25 N, at the recommended contact pressure onto the strikers 40-60 N, thesignificance of introducing the above correction of the preliminaryspring pressure is obvious. Now, when changing the spatial positioningof the device, there is no need for the operator to correct the appliedforce and maintain it at a steady level. This will lead to enhancedquality of vibro-impact treatment and facilitate the operator's job.Convenient ergonomic positioning of the handle away from the device willfacilitate holding the vibrating device in the operator's hands thusleading to further increase in the job quality and defer the operator'sfatigue. A working head with strikers able to pivot around its shaft andfirmly held in the attachment will further enhance the quality of thevibro-impact treatment of flat surfaces. A working head with in-linestriker positioning and discrete angular anchoring expands the devicefunctional abilities and enhances job quality when treatinghard-to-reach welded joints of structures.

1. Ultrasound Device for Improvement Treatment of Parts and WeldedJoints; said device comprises a housing with a handle and slidingguides, wherein a sleeve with an attachment possessing the ability ofreciprocal motion is affixed. Said sleeve contains, overvibro-insulation packing, an ultrasound transducer installed on thenodal plane and connected to the oscillation velocity transformer, atemperature sensor and a sensor of the sleeve position in relation tothe housing, a forced air-cooling system for the transducer based onfeeding compressed air at the butt end of the sleeve and discharging itin the area of the exit opening of the velocity transformer, saidtransformer being in contact with the striker tips capable of thereciprocal motion and positioned within a working head, the cylindricalend of which is mounted on the attachment with the ability of rotationand quick removal, while the movement of the sleeve is limited by meansof a pin anchored on the sleeve and positioned in a longitudinal slot onthe housing and affixed to the front edge of the slot by a springlocated between the shoulder formed on the sleeve and the butt-endsurface of the housing, with the ability of the sleeve to shift when thestrikers are pressed, is characterized by that a shifting spigotequipped with pins inserted into shaped slots made in the housing withthe ability of anchoring the axial movement of the spigot in threepositions, is installed between the spring and the butt-end surface ofthe housing, and said working head with strikers is anchored, to avertaxial movement, by means of a spring ball lock, the ball of which enterseither one of the sockets made with a one-plane angular pitch or acircular groove made on the cylindrical end of the working head, whilethe handle is attached to the housing through an extender and shifted inthe direction opposite to the working head.